by Nathan Roden
“I will have the forest searched for this mysterious beast,” Sterling said. “But I can assure you—we will all be able to rest easier. And soon.”
Magdalena narrowed her eyes.
“Why do you say that?”
Raynard turned the corner of the long hallway.
Magdalena’s jaw dropped. Her eyes opened wide.
Behind Raynard, walked the biggest man she had ever seen. He was so tall that he stooped to clear the ceiling. He was covered head to foot in a robe of brilliant blue.
Magdalena trembled. She had heard tales of the sparkling blue cloaks worn by a cult of powerful wizards from far across the sea.
This cannot be…
The man stopped in front of her and Sterling. His hands were clasped together inside of his billowing sleeves. He pulled his hands apart. He wore jeweled rings on each of his huge fingers. The wizard pulled the hood off of his head.
His skin was pale—almost translucent. He had no sign of hair, on his head or his face. His eyes were the color of a frozen lake.
Around his neck, he wore a string of teeth.
Very large teeth.
Dragons’ teeth.
Sterling enjoyed the look on Magdalena’s face.
“Lady Magdalena,” Sterling said. “May I present Lord Dathien—”
“My name is Dathien,” the giant said. His deep, booming voice echoed off of the walls.
“I require no meaningless title among your people. We do not recognize your means of rank.”
“As you wish, Dathien,” Sterling smiled. “After all, your legend, and your considerable skills, speak far more than any title!”
“Dathien is the world’s greatest Dragonslayer! He has bested many of the beasts—!”
“Twenty!” Dathien boomed. He fingered the teeth that hung around his neck.
“But never one that resulted from a curse!” he said.
Dathien stared into space. His eyes appeared to gloss over.
“A dragon that speaks! That will beg and plead for its life!”
“This may prove to be my greatest achievement!”
He touched each of his rings with tender admiration. He smiled—a horrible smile.
“Along with the promise of jewels, of course.”
“Fresh teeth for your neck and another ring for each gifted finger!” Sterling said. “The coffers of the Kingdom are far from full, but it is a small price to pay to rid the good people of Morgenwraithe of such a troublesome pest!”
Dathien held out his hand toward Magdalena’s door.
“There is magic here,” he said.
“Crude, amateurish magic, to be certain. But effective.”
Dathien closed his eyes.
“There is a spell on this room…a spell to ensure that the room may not be altered in any way.”
Magdalena became angry.
“Ah, yes,” Sterling said. “The room holds great sentimental value for My Lady.”
“Sentiment and magic make weak partners,” Dathien said.
“Unlike magic and the love of jewels and trinkets, I presume,” Magdalena said.
“Ha, ha, haaaa!” Dathien’s humorless laugh shook the walls.
He lifted a single finger and pointed it at Magdalena’s door.
The door exploded, raining down splinters of wood and pieces of iron.
Dathien turned and walked away.
Magdalena held her hands over her mouth.
Sterling turned to Raynard.
“Get some men up here to replace the door.”
Six
Jaclyn thumped the seamstress on the top of her head.
“Ow!” the girl said. And then she giggled.
“It isn’t funny,” Jaclyn said, but there was no venom in her voice.
“It is a baby, Lucinda. Fashion and style will have to give way to comfort in the coming months.”
‘I apologize, My Queen. I have never altered a queen’s dress to accommodate a child.”
“I can believe it,” Jaclyn said.
The girl looked hurt.
“Come now, Lucinda,” Jaclyn said. “I am only teasing. I know you were taught that there is no beauty without torture. But this little one is pushing around my insides without your help.”
King Lucien threw open the door and stormed into the parlor. He wore his full battle garb, but he had yet to leave the castle. Lucien appeared out of breath and clenched his hands into fists. He made an obvious attempt to control his emotions.
“Is something wrong, Lucien?” Jaclyn asked.
Lucien stared at the floor.
“I need a word.”
Lucinda needed to hear nothing more. She jumped to her feet and ran from the room.
“Do you know anything about this? What Sterling has done?” Lucien asked.
The baby in Jaclyn’s belly made a sudden move. She put her hand over her mouth. The sensation passed.
“I do not know anything! What has Sterling done?”
“What Sterling has done, is put us all in great danger!” Lucien spat. He began to pace.
“He has brought a wizard to our shores—from a distant land full of…a land of freaks! A man so big that he makes Raynard look like a child!”
Jaclyn interrupted.
“But why—?”
“The giant stands ten feet tall!” Lucien exclaimed. “Not a hair on his head—even over his eyes! And his eyes are like no other mortal creature I have ever seen. At this instant, he lights candles in my throne room—and chants to whatever dark gods he serves!”
“This does not sound like Lord Sterling at all,” Jaclyn said.
She stepped closer to Lucien.
“Is Sterling protected, Lucien? Is it a certainty that his position of Regent affords him protection from the curse?”
“It is a spell,” Lucien snapped. “A spell of protection. Not a curse! Do you ever think before you speak?”
“Forgive me, your Grace,” Jaclyn said.
Lucien ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It is just that…” his voice trailed away.
Jaclyn took his hand.
“What troubles you, my king? You should have someone you can talk to. You can talk to me.”
Lucien squeezed her hand for a moment, and then he pulled away. He stepped in front of the window and stared out of it. Jaclyn heard him sniff.
“Two more years,” Lucien said quietly. “Two more long years I remain under Sterling’s thumb. And then what happens? I do not believe that he will be content to step aside and leave the rule of the Kingdom in my hands.”
Lucien lowered his voice.
“He has held onto the reins of power for twelve years. He lives for it. It is his meat, and his water. He lusts after it—knowing that every soul in the realm is his for the taking.”
Lucien turned and looked at Jaclyn. His eyes were wet.
“My uncle cursed my soul on the day you and I met. I will never be allowed to serve as King—as long as Sterling lives.”
Jaclyn wept silently. The baby inside of her moved. Jaclyn held her hands over her stomach.
“Why has Sterling brought this strange wizard among us?” Jaclyn asked. “He has stripped the Kingdom of almost all wizards and sorcerers. The old ones have all died. How can Sterling trust—?”
“Sterling trusts no one,” Lucien said. “He has promised this…this thing—a bounty of riches. The wizard will carry out his task and take his reward back to his homeland; or Sterling will have him killed.”
“What task?” Jaclyn asked.
“He is here to kill my brother.”
Seven
Ben Blankenship walked with Liam to the front of his house.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Ben asked.
Liam shook his head.
“That will not help either of us. She begged us not to go with you. She said over and over that we would get ourselves killed. And one of us did.”
Ben nodded. He offered his
hand and Liam shook it.
“I am truly sorry,” Ben said.
“Something needed to be done,” Liam said. “Though a small group of boys was not enough. We should have had hundreds—even thousands, to march on the border. Perhaps it was a worthy sacrifice. Maybe the people will stop hiding from the truth and realize that the north is ruled by vicious and ruthless men.”
“I am proud to count you as a friend,” Ben said. “I must go now and see to my daughter.”
Ben took the long way home, bypassing the populated areas of the village.
He was tired, weary, and sore. His shoulder ached and his feet hurt. He had landed hard on a stone, and the heel of his left boot broke off. He reached his home at twilight.
Something is not right, he thought.
The windows were dark. Ben passed his house by and walked the short distance to his in-law’s house. He knocked on the door. There was no answer.
Ben was afraid.
He lowered his good shoulder and slammed it into the door.
There was no one there. Ben breathed in and opened the door to a wardrobe. It was empty. He checked the second wardrobe. It was empty as well.
Ben ignored his weariness and his pain. He ran back to his house and tore open the door. His clothes and the clothes that belonged to his dead wife still hung in the wardrobe.
Everything that belonged to his baby daughter
Was gone.
It was almost dark.
Ben looked out of the front window. He saw lights on the horizon—growing brighter with each passing second.
A voice in the back of his mind spoke to him.
Get out of here. Now.
Ben ran out of the door. He stopped and shut it.
He ran to the edge of the woods and climbed a tree that afforded him a view of his house.
A crowd topped the hill and marched toward his house—dozens of people. Men, women, and children came—most of them carried torches.
Many shouted angry and cruel things. They threw their torches onto his roof and through the door and windows.
The blazing inferno that was once his happy home revealed the faces of the heart-broken and the anguished.
Behind them stood a solitary boy.
The boy walked forward and pulled at a woman’s arm. She shook him away and screamed her hatred along with the crowd.
Liam turned around, his head to the ground, and walked away.
Eight
Simon circled above the cave. He barked a roar and blew a quick burst of fire against the darkening sky.
When you belong to the most feared species ever known to man, it’s a good idea to announce yourself to your human friends, Simon thought.
Simon landed in the nearest clearing and walked up the steep mountainside to the mouth of the cave. Boone and Helena walked down the narrow path, holding hands.
Simon smiled at this.
He smiled, in spite of his deep sadness.
His oldest friend and his newest. He wished them every moment of happiness in the world.
Helena dropped Boone’s hand and ran ahead. She threw her arms around the dragon’s middle. Boone laughed, but he joined right in.
They reminisced for an hour, and then stared out into the star-filled sky.
“Our time is short,” Boone said. “We raise support in the south, or it’s all over.”
“This is how it should be,” Helena said. “All the minstrels’ songs, all the tales told by candle and torch-light—they are all tales of desperate people. People backed into a corner—who have no choice but to fight for their lives!”
“Many heroes lose their lives in those battles,” Boone said.
“Aye,” Helena said. “Some heroes fall in the quest. It is the responsibility of the people to keep their names alive.”
“Your father taught you well, Helena,” Simon said.
“And my uncles,” Helena said. “I am determined to live, to make certain that their memories live on!”
Simon wrapped his wing around Helena’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Hold on to her, Boone Blankenship. This lady has the kind of noble spirit that a nation should be built upon.”
Boone took Helena’s hand.
“I’m way ahead of you, Simon.”
Boone had saved some deer and boar meat for Simon. Simon carried the meal away from the others and devoured it in three bites.
Simon returned, and they relaxed by a small fire.
Boone stared into the flames and spoke softly to Simon.
“What happened to the King’s men at Magdalena’s house?”
Simon hesitated.
“They had to be…dealt with.”
Helena stared silently into the fire. Boone nodded.
“I know it bothers you, Simon. But we’ll witness death many more times before we see peace.”
“I was forced to stop one of them. The Lady took care of the other.”
Boone looked up at that remark.
“Magdalena?”
“The wolf,” Simon said. “I must warn you. Stay away from her teeth.”
“I will remember that,” Boone said.
Simon awakened an hour after sunrise to a familiar voice.
“All hail the true king!”
Simon, Boone, and Helena welcomed Viceroy Nicolas Lamont and his first lieutenant into their company.
Boone extended his hand to Lamont, who shocked him by pulling both him and Helena into a hug.
Lamont looked at Simon and sighed.
“That was nearly the end of us.”
“Yes,” Simon said. “In the aftermath, I see how right Boone was. It was foolish of me to…to want to see her. That could have ended badly. For all of us.”
“If those guards had not intervened, it would have been a great moment,” Lamont said. “If you could have heard Jaclyn speak of how much it meant to her—”
“Two men are dead because of my selfishness!” Simon spat. “Their bodies will rot in the depths of a bottomless pit! They may have left wives, and children—!”
Lamont stepped forward and scowled. He shook his finger at Simon.
“Listen to me, Simon! You have yet to see war. I do not care what books you’ve read or what tales you have heard. War is not the stuff of minstrel songs. War…is ugly. Our Kingdom is lorded over by an evil man—a man with evil allies. But this is not so of every man whose sword is sworn to him. “
“Wars are fought between the innocent. Men who could be the best of friends will kill each other in the name of their chosen cause.”
Lamont looked around him—into the eyes of the others.
“Make no mistake. If we are to be victorious, there will be no time to consider those who stand against us. You must see every enemy as just that. An enemy. There will be a time for grief over those who fall. But until then, every time that you hesitate, people will die. Our people.”
The group was somber.
“Now,” Lamont said. “We must act quickly. Tell me how to reach this cave. I will come as soon as I can. I must devise reasons for my absence in case Sterling becomes suspicious.”
“Do not think for a moment that I am staying behind,” the first lieutenant said.
“Ah, Finn,” Lamont sighed. “If you were not such a value to me and to Islemar, I would have to find you insubordinate!”
“Your excuses will not work for long,” Simon said.
“There is nothing else to do,” Lamont said. “The arrival of my grandchild gives us limited time.”
“I thought to make our rendezvous at a cave near the Southland border,” Simon said. “But it is dangerously close to the army’s camp. Sterling has strengthened the Border Guard. It is possible they have searched the area and located this cave. We have no other options. The western approach provides no protection.”
“And the eastern approach is limited by the forbidden mountain,” Lamont said.
“Is it indeed impassable—even to you?” Finn asked Simon.
&n
bsp; “I did pass its summit once,” Simon said. “But it leads nowhere, as far as I can tell. The snow and the ceaseless wind make for an utterly miserable journey. Legend says men once dared to explore it—”
“And none of them were ever seen again,” Lamont finished.
“There is another cave just to the north, above the river,” Simon said. “Let’s plan to meet there. Hopefully, our time on the mountain will be short. From there, I can carry small groups to the border.”
“That will leave us only the problem of scaling the canyon wall,” Finn said.
Lamont nodded.
“I have been to the border many times. It would be impossible to enter the mouth of the canyon without engaging the Border guard. Thankfully, we maintain a trained group of scouts who specialize in scaling high walls. That will be the easy part of our task. The more difficult, will be explaining to the others that they will be traveling on the back of a dragon.”
Finn laughed.
“Lamont speaks the truth. We have men who can scale a sheer mountain face as easily as most walk the King’s Road!”
“Finn exaggerates, but not by a great deal,” Lamont laughed. And then his face turned to stone.
“There has been little trust between the sovereign people of Islemar and the Kingdom. This has been true for at least two generations. We do not leave the responsibility of our defense to the purview of the King’s Army, or the King’s Guard.”
Lamont looked into Simon’s eyes.
“We will serve a King who truly cares for our people. In the absence of such a king, we will care for our own.”
“Lord Lamont, I have known little but exile and hate,” Simon said. “I admit that there have been times that I wallowed in self-pity.”